TSC Releases Recruitment Guidelines of Teacher Interns – Primary Schools 2020/2021

Applicants for the Internship posts can now smile with a sigh of relief after the Teachers Service Commission Released Recruitment Guidelines for Interns of Primary Schools for the year 2020/2021.

The TSC Circular No. 15/2020 contained the following details.

1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

• Following the advertisement for recruitment of teacher interns for Primary schools, the county Director is required to conduct a selection exercise for applicants wishing to be engaged in their respective Counties;  and submit the County Merit List to the Teachers Service Commission Headquarters. The list should be ratified by the County Selection Panel.
• The selection panel will be expected to exercise the highest degree of transparency and accountability, as stipulated in the Public Officers Ethics Act, and the Teachers Service Commission Sub-county Director is required to induct members of the Selection panel on the relevant areas of the Teachers Service Commission Act; the Teachers Service Commission Code of Regulations for Teachers; and relevant administrative procedures to the commencement of the exercise.
• The Teachers Service Commission County Director MUST ensure that the recruitment process is done in strict adherence to the protocols by the Ministry of Health on containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• All applicants must be registered as per section 23/(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012. Applicants who are not registered do not eligible for recruitment.
• Applicants who apply for confirmation of results from Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) should provide the address of the County Director where they tendered their application. It will be the responsibility of the applicants to ensure that the KNEC results are received by the respective County Directors within 14 days of verification of their certificates by the County Directors.
• Applicants whose names differ in the certificates, testimonials, and/or identity cards/passports are required to provide a duly sworn affidavit explaining the variation in names or the sequence thereof.
• Applicants who re-sat either KCPE or KCSE examinations (or their equivalent) MUST present certified copies of the certificate(s) of the national examination(s) in question for all attempts.
• Applicants will be required to submit their applications to The secretary, Teachers Service Commission through the online platform www.teacheronline.tsc.go.ke for the county where a vacancy has been declared.
• Applicants who were previously employed by the Commission DO NOT  qualify for the internship programme.
• A system-generated Merit list will be sent to the County Director. Upon receipt of the Merit List, the County Director shall use the Merit List to communicate selection data and venue in consultation with the County Director.
• During the selection, each applicant shall be given a Serial Number. Applicants must present original and legible photocopies of the following, among other relevant documents:
• National Identification Card;
• National Council of Persons with disability (NCPWD) card (where applicable);
• KCPE Certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
• KCSE Certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
• PTE Certificate;
• Certificate of registration as a teacher;
• Sworn Affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;
• Primary and Secondary Schools leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials.
• Applicants with special needs, especially challenges relating to speech and/or hearing shall be allowed the company and support of a sign language interpreter or an appropriate Assistant.
• All applicants, regardless of gender, disability, ethnicity, or home County shall be given equal opportunity. However, in case of a tie in the scores by the applicants, consideration will be given to the following in their order of priority:

1. Applicants disability status, if any;
2. The Applicant’s performance/grade in teaching practice;
3. The applicant(s) who graduated earlier in time;
4. Academic and professional performance demonstrated through certificates i.e. higher aggregate KCSE grade.
5. The selection date and venue MUST be displayed on Notice Boards at the County, Sub-County and Zonal offices at least seven (7) days before the selection exercise.
6. The selection panel shall vet each applicant to establish if he/she meets the requirements as per the advertisement.

2.0 SUB-COUNTY SELECTION PANEL

The selection panel shall comprise of the following members:

1. The Sub County Director – Chairperson
2. Sub County Human Resource Officer – Secretary
3. Zonal Curriculum Support Officers (2) – Members

NB: The Sub-County Director MUST ensure that the Ministry of Health COVID-19 containment measures are adhered by the panel and the applicants at all times

3.0 VERIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION OF ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL AND RELATED DOCUMENTS

• The Sub County Director shall verify the TSC registration status of all applicants;
• The Sub County Director shall present a list of all applicants to the Selection Panel;
• Applicants must appear IN PERSON before the Selection Panel on the set date.
• Original academic and professional certificates shall be scrutinized to verify their authenticity.
• The Sub-County Director shall certify photocopies of the certificates and other documents before forwarding them to the County Director.
• Any applicant(s) who present forged/fake academic, professional, and other documents commit(s) an offence; shall be disqualified and deregistered in accordance with due process.

4.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicants shall be awarded marks as per the Score Sheet as per Appendix1(a) and 1(b).

5.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO COUNTY DIRECTOR

The Sub-County Selection Panel shall be required to submit the following to the County Director:-

1. List of all applicants who presented documents for verification at the Sub-county level as per AAppendix II;
2. Sub- County Merit List as per Appendix III;
3. Summary of complaints raised (if any) together with action taken;
4. Minutes of the Sub-County selection Panel duly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary.

6.0 COUNTY SELECTION PANEL

• Upon submission of Merit Lists by the Sub-County Directors, the County Director shall constitute a Selection Panel comprising the following:
• County Director – Chairperson
• Deputy County Director – Secretary
• County Human Resource Officer – Member
• Sub-County Director – Member

This will make a total of 4 members.

The County Director MUST ensure that the Ministry of Health COVID-19 containment measures are adhered to by all participants.

• The County Director shall be required to convene a County Panel to ratify Sub-County Merit lists for onward transmission to the Teacher Service Commission Headquarters within the stipulated timeline.
• The successful applicants from the Merit List shall sign the Intership Agreement and be issued with “Offer of Internship” letters.
• The Merit List compiled during the selection process will be used in subsequent recruitments within the financial year.
• Successful applicants shall be informed through Short Message Service (SMS)

NB: it is the responsibility of the County Director to ensure that the teacher intern recruitment is undertaken in a fair and transparent manner in line with the Guidelines. The County Director Must also ensure that all documents required for the exercise are in order and appropriately executed or certified, as the case may be prior to submitting them to the Teachers Service Commission Headquarters.

7.0 GRIEVANCE MANAGEMENT

• An applicant dissatisfied with the conduct of the recruitment exercise for any reason in VBreach of the Guidelines should immediately subkit a written complaint to the County Director and send an e-mail thereof to the Teachers Service Commission Headquarters through: ddstaffingp@tsc.go.ke not later than seven (7) days after the selection exercise;
• Upon recipt of the complaint, the County Director should withing seven (7) days analyze and address the issue(s) raised thereafter respond to the complaint and submit a Report to the Headquarters elaborating on the matter and indicating the action taken.
• Where the complaint is made against the County Director, the TSC Headquarters shall investigate the allegations and take appropriate remedial action.

8.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO TSC HEADQUARTERS

The TSC County Director shall submit the following to the TSC headquarters;

1. County Selection Panel minutes duly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary;
2. Current Merit List (Appendix IV);
3. List of all selected applicants drawn from the current merit list as per Appendix v;
4. List of all invited applicants who did not appear for verification as Appendix VI
5. List if applicants with special needs as per Appendix VII
6. Duly filled copy of Internship Agreement for the selected applicants;
7. Duly signed copies of Offer of Internship Letters for the selected applicants;
8. Original statement of confirmation of PTE/KCSE/KCPE results from KNEC for applicants without original certificates;

In addition, certified copies of the following documents shall be submitted in the order indicated below:

1. National identification card
2. National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);
3. Two passport size photographs;
4. KCPE (or its equivalent) certificate (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
5. KCSE (or its equivalent0 Certificates (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
6. PTE Certificate;
7. Certificate of registration as a teacher;
8. Primary and Secondary Schools ad College leaving certificates and other testimonials;
9. Sworn affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;
10. KRA PIN certificate, Bank form and Bank plate to facilitate appointment on payroll;
11. Copy of NHIF card;
12. Copy of Insurance cover certificate;

Panel score sheet as per Appendix I should be sent both in soft (excel), and hard copies through the official e-mail address: ddstaffingp@tsc.go.ke and in hard copy for the selected applicants.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Merit Lists generated as a result of the exercise shall be made available to members of the public upon request in a manner that will not frustrate the process or put it to disguise or jeopardy.
• Under no circumstances should an applicant sign an Internship Agreement to serve in two or more schools. in addition, an applicant should not be in possession of more than one Offer of Internship letter.
• All enquiries arising from these guidelines should be made to the County Director.
• Notwithstanding the decentralization of the teacher interns recruitment process, the Commission may undertake the recruitment directly from the TSC Headquarters

To download the actual TSC Releases Recruitment Guidelines of Teacher Interns – Primary Schools 2020/2021 from TSC circular No. 15/2020, click on the button after this text.